Symposium spotlights veterans’ issues

For six years the cost of war has spread beyond the battlefield to families, health care workers, educators, employers and whole communities.

Next week, the fourth annual Veterans Community Response Symposium will bring together veterans and those helping them to reclaim a productive and fulfilling life.

“I visit with our troops and their families all the time, and one of the concerns I heard from our National Guard and Reserve members was that they needed support services for reintegrating back into the community when they come home from overseas deployments,” said U.S. Rep. John Murtha, D-Johnstown.

The program, set for Thursday at the Hiram G. Andrews Center, will feature expert speakers in subjects ranging from the effects and treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder to advances in field medicine and rehabilitation. People will also hear the stories of veterans who have returned from the combat zone.

More than 170 health care professionals, researchers, local officials, veterans and their families are expected to attend this year, said Tom Caulfield, executive director of Veterans Leadership Program/Veterans Community Initiatives.

Advertisement

“Basically, we want the audience to become aware of the really diverse issues facing the returning veterans. Some are physiological, some are psychological, some are family, some are in education,” Caulfield said.

The price veterans pay often goes far beyond the physical and mental, but also extends to the families of those called up and sent out to serve, Caulfield said. That’s why programs have expanded to cover previously little-thought of issues like educating the children of those on active duty.

“It becomes what happens to the children, some become boisterous, some withdrawn,” Caulfield said. “Educators aren’t really trained, don’t know enough to relate to the children of these veterans.”

Every year, more is learned about the needs of the veterans and their families, he said.

Murtha has always been heavily involved in supporting and attending the symposiums for many of those reasons.

“This is why it’s so important to have these community symposiums, to bring attention to the issue and to bring together people from within our community to collectively address these concerns,” he said.

The daylong event will include remarks from long-time advocates like Murtha, Caulfield and Jay Roberts, the director of Saint Francis University’s Center of Excellence for Remote & Medically Under-Served Areas.

Among the many new speakers will be Maj. Gen. James Gilman from the U.S. Army Medical Research & Material Command, Charlie Hubner, a member of the U.S. Olympic Committee, and Col. Donald Noah, acting deputy assistant secretary of defense for Force Protection & Readiness.

For more information, contact the VLP/VCI by calling 255-0355 or 255-7209.